LIVE BY THE THREE, DIE BY THE THREE.

A few weeks ago, the Milwaukee Bucks recorded 29 made three-point baskets in a beatdown of the Miami Heat, perhaps getting a bit of the sour taste of last summer's playoffs out of their system.  The game even prompted a Milwaukee radio guy to put together a montage of the calls of the 29 made shots over the closing bars of the 1812 Overture.  (Sorry, that doesn't appear to be available in the audio archive.)

The Heat won the nightcap.  (Professional basketball teams are playing a lot of consecutive games with the same opponent so as to reduce travelling during the continuing plague.)

A few nights ago, "Utah hits franchise record 25 three-point shots to bury Milwaukee."

That might be why coaches make the big bucks (sorry).  When the threes aren't falling, perhaps it's wise to remind players to pass the ball around a few more times, see if a defender isn't alert on the double-team, get a cutter lost in the traffic, you know, the fundamental things.  When the other team's threes are falling, perhaps it's wise to remind players to challenge the shooters.  I know, that second point is a fool's errand, people no longer go to professional games to watch the defense, or get noisy when the home five has a chance to hold the visitors to two digit scores.